China launches typhoon emergency response

BEIJING - China has initiated an emergency response and early-warning plan for disaster relief in order to cope with the severity of typhoon Haikui, according to a circular issued by the National Commission for Disaster Reduction on Monday.

The circular said that civil affairs offices in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Fujian, as well as disaster relief material reserves in cities such as Hefei and Fuzhou, should be prepared to cope with the typhoon.

Civil affairs offices at all levels should boost their cooperation with other local departments, including meteorological centers, oceanic administrations and resources departments, and keep a close eye on flooding caused by the tropical storm, the circular said.

It also stressed that related departments should use text messaging, electronic signs, broadcast media, TV programs and the Internet to release disaster warnings, disaster prevention information and emergency first aid tips to the public in a timely manner.

Disaster relief material reserve departments should strengthen coordination with local railway and transportation departments in order to ensure that the materials arrive in disaster-hit areas in a safe and timely manner, the circular said.

According to the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center, typhoon Haikui is moving northwest at 9 kilometers per hour, and it is expected to reach the eastern coastal areas of Zhejiang on August 8.

Haikui was moving northwest as a severe tropical storm 200 kilometers off Japan's southernmost Okinawa prefecture early Sunday morning.

From gathered statistics, the center predicted that 6- to 9-meter-high waves will occur in the East China Sea on Monday night and Tuesday.

Waves of 3.5 meters to 5 meters will occur along the east coast of Zhejiang, and waves of 2 to 3 meters will emerge near the coast of Shanghai, southern Jiangsu and northern Fujian, the center said.

Ships sailing in these waters should be cautious and make preparations to take shelter from huge waves in a timely manner, the center said.

At 5 pm, the National Meteorological Center said that tropical storm Haikui had strengthened into a typhoon.